The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks have leapfrogged the Laval Rouge et Or in the U Sports football rankings to reach the top three for the first time this season.
The Golden Hawks recorded a 40-7 victory over the Windsor Lancers this past weekend in a matchup of nationally-ranked opponents. Hec Crighton Trophy hopeful Taylor Elgersma threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball twice for 22 yards and one touchdown against one of the top defences in all of U Sports to improve his team’s record to a perfect 7-0.
Wilfrid Laurier will have a chance to clinch first place in the OUA when they take on the No. 1-ranked Western Mustangs in London, Ont. on Saturday. The Golden Hawks haven’t finished the regular season with an 8-0 record since 2005, which is when they most recently won the Vanier Cup.
Laval fell one spot from No. 3 to No. 4 after a 28-0 shutout loss to the Montreal Carabins. The Rouge et Or generated only 146 yards of offence as Arnaud Desjardins threw one interception and was sacked five times, dropping a game against their arch-rivals for the second time this season.
The Saskatchewan Huskies held firm at No. 6 despite losing to the Alberta Golden Bears by a score of 23-20. Matthew Peterson had another dominant performance for Alberta as he carried the ball 22 times for 192 yards and one touchdown to help his club beat the Huskies for the second time this season. The Golden Bears moved up from No. 9 to No. 7, though they remained below Saskatchewan despite the win.
The Queen’s Golden Gaels moved up from No. 10 to No. 8 after defeating the Guelph Gryphons 24-17, while the Lancers fell from No. 8 to No. 9 following their one-sided loss to Wilfrid Laurier. The UBC Thunderbirds fell from No. 7 to No. 10 following an embarrassing 20-6 loss to the Calgary Dinos, who were previously winless.
The Western Mustangs (No. 1), Montreal Carabins (No. 2), St. FX X-Men (No. 5), and Saskatchewan Huskies (No. 6) each held steady in the rankings.
Click here for a full recap of this past week’s U Sports action from across the country.
